


Choke

by stargazinghero



Category: 6 Underground (2019)
Genre: Family Fluff, PROTECTIVE SQUAD, Whump, but we love him, four is a sassy boi, one is an asshole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:55:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22812688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stargazinghero/pseuds/stargazinghero
Summary: Billy gets a lil bit hurt, the squad get a lil bit protective. All that good stuff.
Comments: 24
Kudos: 267





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I had a plot bunny at 10pm and now I have to write this, I hope it will be a longer story but I'm not sure quite where to take it. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like me to do! As a writer, I live to serve. 
> 
> Also, pls forgive the mildly unrealistic plot, vents aren't usually this easy to crawl through.

Billy sits on the rooftop, his teammates hurrying around like ants on the ground below. The radio is nothing but a hum in the background to his thoughts. The messages aren’t urgent, probably just Three and One arguing again. 

“Fuck you, Uno.” There it is. It’s become a bit of a running joke between the two of them. They never say goodbye anymore.

“I’m going to get groceries.”

“Fuck you.”

“Do you want sugar in your tea?”

“Fuck you.”

“I’m trapped in the laundry room.” Oh, shit. One doesn’t swear at Three this time. The men trapping Three are professionals apparently. Big guns. Automatic and muscular. The chatter dies down for a bit and the only sound is Three breathing, straining as he searches around the tiny room for a way out. Billy remembers the blueprints, the tiny laundry room next to the target’s hotel room. He also remembers the line ran from it straight up to the roof where he was standing.

“There’s a vent but I can’t get it open.”

“Four, can you get there?” One asks over the radio. Billy’s already on it, shimmying himself into the narrow tube and starting the precarious shuffle down. 

“Already on it, bang on the grate and I’ll find you.” Billy shuffles and slides until he meets another horizontal vent and begins crawling. He follows the faint thumping until he reaches the laundry room. Through the metal grate he sees Three, his face covered in blood and an unconscious man under his arm. When he sees Billy, his face lights up. In fact, he could kiss the blonde man. However, when Billy kicks the grate in and sticks his torso through the hole, arms outstretched ready to take the man’s body, he only ruffles his hair playfully. Billy blushes, a smile sneaking onto his face. 

“Cuatro, you come here often?”

“Enough with the small talk,” One sulks over the radio. “Let’s just get this guy and go, please.”

“Fuck you.” 

“And the same to you.” Three laughs as he hefts the man’s body through the grate. Behind him, the door bangs against the washing machine and ironing board that have wedged it shut.

“I think it’s time to get out of here,” Three says, pulling himself into the vent. 

“No shit.” Billy breathes heavily, pulling himself and the man’s unconscious body behind him. When he reaches the vertical vent that leads to the roof he stops.

“Come on, Cuatro. Keep moving.”

“Give me a minute.” Billy pauses, thinking. “And your belt.” Three pulls at his buckle and hands over the belt impatiently. He watches as Billy pulls the belt around his and the man’s torso and start to climb up the vent, his back pressed up against the vent whilst his hands and feet thrust him upwards. The man’s feet hang, swaying with each of Billy’s steps.

“You expect me to do that?” 

“You want to carry him?” Billy grunts. 

“No, thank you.”

“Then get climbing.”

The climb feels like hours for Billy. The belt is digging into his chest and his arms and legs burn with each step. So, when he reaches the top of the vent the fresh air that fills his gasping lungs is glorious. That is until two hands grab him by the collar, pull him out onto the rooftop and start strangling him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 2!  
> I promise protective family fluff is coming next chapter, but if you have anything you want to see in this story feel free to comment and I'll do my best to provide!

The hands wrapped around Billy's throat are rough and calloused as they squeeze each breath out of his lungs. From somewhere near him he can hear grunts as Three fights off more men, and the radio buzzes in his ear with garbled voices he can't make out. 

As he lays, pinned beneath the man, he can see the glint of a gun at his side. He would laugh if he could; the man could shoot him if he wanted. One bullet and his problems would be dealt with. However, he chooses to strangle him. Slow. Painful. Satisfying, one would think. Billy’s never strangled anyone before, and he doesn’t plan to. It feels horrible. His legs writhe and his hands grasp desperately at the gravel that covers the roof. He’s panicking.

When he was free running it was the air that he loved the most; the feeling of it rushing past his face and into his lungs was like a drug. But right now, his lungs were empty, and his vision was starting to dim. As the shadows crept up on him, he did the only think he could think of.  
Grabbing a fistful of the gravel, he threw it at the man’s face. He flinched and his grip loosened for a second. That was all he needed. Billy took the man’s hand in his fist and squeezed, pulling his hand back as far as he could until it popped. He screamed. Guttural and animalistic. Billy almost felt bad until he saw the man reaching for the gun at his side.

It’s quick after that. They wrestle, the gun pointing back and forth between their faces, until one of them hooks a finger around the trigger. Billy’s face is wet with blood from the hole in the man’s temple. He lies for a second. His ears are ringing and the weight of the man’s body on top of him is immense. All he can do is breathe. Or try to at least.

His throat is swelling, closing up with each raspy gasp. he jumps violently as a face appears above him, but it’s only Three. Behind him, he sees Two has joined them and is finishing up the last guy. The roof is littered with bodies. Three is saying something to him, but he can only see his lips moving. He’s lost in white noise until suddenly the world comes back to him with a sickening jolt. He hears everything. 

“Are you OK?” Three’s voice booms in his ears. Then sirens, voices on the radio, a gunshot. Two joins Three, sliding her gun into her holster.

“We’re done here.” She looks down at Billy. “Can you move?” He’s still lying under the man’s body, but he nods. They pull him off and haul Billy up, but he is pulled back. He looks back to see the unconscious man is still attached to him from the climb. However, he’s not unconscious anymore. He looks to Billy in panic, the blood staining Billy’s own face spread across his own. 

“Shit,” Three grunts, pinning him down as he starts to fumble with the belt in an attempt to free himself. “Sorry, man.” He strikes the man across the face and he slumps back into to gravel. Three undoes the belt, freeing Billy, and throws the man over his shoulder. With the other hand, he helps Billy stand. 

“Sorry I took so long to get to you. They were waiting for us.” 

“I had it under control,” Billy replies. His voice is harsh as he coughs, wincing at the agony that spreads through his throat.

“Sure, Cuatro.” Three chuckles, turning the body at their feet over with his shoe. Underneath his head, a pool of blood is starting to form. It creeps closer to Billy’s feet until it submerges the soles of his shoes in a puddle. 

“Target acquired, we’re on our way down.” Two reports. ‘Let’s go.” Billy follows Two and Three, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind him, but with each breathe his throat feels tighter and the pressure in his head builds. He fumbles as he attaches himself to the zip-line that will take them to the car holding One, Five and Seven, and his vision starts to swim. As he pushes off from the building the air that rushes past him is glorious, it’s almost like he’s free running. But the euphoria is only temporary. He lands heavily, his legs buckling beneath him, and the last thing he sees is Five and Seven running towards him before he blacks out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just a quick one, but here is a little update! With everything that's going on, my uni has gone online and I've had to move home so updates may be a little slower but I still have a solid plan for this story! 
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe <3

“Oh, shit.” Seven barely catches Billy’s head before it smashes into the concrete. He crouches, the boys head cradled in his hands like a football, whilst Five pulls a torch out of her backpack. She takes his face in her hands gently, opening his eyes and shining the torchlight at each pupil. They dilate.

“Good, no concussion.” She lists off his injuries. “Contusions on his neck, he’s been strangled.”

“I got there as soon as I could, but they were fighting for a while.” Three walks up behind them, the unconscious man strapped to Billy now draped unceremoniously over his shoulder. Behind him, Two dismounts from the zipline and cuts it after her. In the distance a body falls to the ground. 

“How long was he choking him for?” Five asks, slapping Billy’s face lightly, but the boy’s features remain slack. 

“Maybe a minute or two, I don’t know.”

“Shit.”

“Is that bad?” Seven is sitting with Billy’s head on his lap now, his legs slowly starting to go numb on the harsh concrete. 

“It’s not great.”

It’s quiet as the team stand around Billy’s unconscious body. Two stands with her gun cocked, guarding them from one side whilst three mirrors her on the other. However, by the car a figure is leaning casually by the door. One is nervous. Sure, the mission went well; they have the target and they all made it out alive. But they’re still exposed and extremely vulnerable, especially Four. One refuses to call him Billy. It makes looking at him, lying on the ground with two red handprints around his neck, a lot easier. At least that’s what he tells himself. 

“Are you almost done over there because we had to scram like five minutes ago.” Five glares wordlessly at him before going back to Billy. She hovers for a second before sitting back on her heels. 

“Alright, I can’t do much more here. Can you take him?” Seven nods, picking Billy up and carrying him to the car. He lays him down with his head on his lap and his feet over Two and Five. From the passenger seat, One turns around.

“Glad you could make it. Can we go now?”

“Just fucking drive,” Five hisses.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, it's been a hot minute. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you have any ideas or suggestion I always love to hear them in the comments!

Billy wakes up with a jolt. He cracks his eyes open to see the sky flashing by through the roof window above him, before Seven leans over him.

“Four?” He taps Billy’s face. “You with me?”

“Is he awake?” Five leans over to him, shining another torch into his eyes. 

“Ugh.” He groans, trying to sit up, but it comes out as more of a whine.

“Woah. Stay down, Four.” Seven soothes, pushing him back down gently. “What hurts?”

“Throat,” he says. Or he tries to say; instead he chokes on his words as pain laces his throat. His hands fly up to his neck and he reaches out blindly before finding a hand which grasps his tightly. He looks to see Two staring at him, her face blank but her eyes filled with softness and a fierce reassurance that immediately calms him. Behind her, Five rustles feverishly in her bag, pulling out scalpels and bandages before she finds what she is looking for.

“Throat? Is that what you said?” she asks, shaking the instant ice packs in her hands get them cold. Billy nods vigorously, laying back down as his head spins from the motion.

“Ok. Ok, I’m just going to put these on your throat.”

Billy jumps as the ice packs touch his skin.

“I’m sorry. It’s cold, I’m sorry.” 

Laying down with the ice packs crowded around his neck slowly soaking through his t-shirt, Billy takes a deep breath. The sound of breathing is all that fills the car now, except for Three’s clunky gear shifts, as they drive. Just as Billy starts to nod of, One breaks the silence.

“We’re five minutes out.” He turns in his seat. “Is he ready to move?”

“I’m good,” Billy croaks, sitting up and letting the ice packs slide onto his lap. Five watches him warily as he slides into the space between Seven and Two and his face drains of colour. 

“Don’t pass out on us now, Four. We’ve got to get you on that plane, then you can faint all you like.” One watches Billy from the reflection in the rear view mirror, before getting out the car and slamming the door behind him.

“Asshole,” Seven says into the silence. Everybody snorts before following him into the plane sitting on the landing strip. Once inside, Five settles Billy comfortably in a chair surrounded by fresh icepacks and a thick, woollen blanket. He falls asleep almost instantly with his mouth hanging open and his eyes flickering beneath his eyelids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pls feel free to imagine sleeping Billy like he is on the plane in the film, just add a massive blanket that makes him look like a cinnamon roll. You're welcome.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, I've been working on this chapter for so long and it's finally finished!!!!
> 
> i'm really happy with this ending and i hope you are too, thank you so much for reading!
> 
> I've also got some more Billy plot bunnies brewing which may be released soon, so keep your eyes peeled!
> 
> enjoy and stay safe <3

When Billy comes too, he feels peace. Out of the corner of his eye he can see light, fluffy clouds sitting in a blue sky as he lays on a cushioned chair under a thick, woollen blanket. 

Heaven. He must be in heaven. Except, heaven doesn’t move like that. 

With a lurch, the view out of the window tilts and the plane starts to descend, leaving Billy with a mounting pressure in his head and his stomach halfway up his throat. He groans. Closing his eyes and clutching at the armrests of his chair, he fights the urge to throw up right there. But, with each swallow, the pain in his throat increases. Each breath feels like a fight. His throat is tight and swollen, leaving his airways narrow and his breathing shallow. He reaches up to feel it, brushing the tips of his fingers against the inflamed skin, before rough hands pull it away.

“Billy?”

“Ugh.” Too loud. 

“Sorry.” The voice whispers this time. Billy thanks them in his head. 

“Your welcome.” Or not. “You know, I can hear every word you’re thinking.”

Shit, Billy thinks, don’t think about Five in a bikini. 

“Hey!” Another voice. Further away this time and pissed off. 

“Sorry. I’m gonna stop thinking now,” he mumbles. Each word hurts. 

“Good fucking idea.” The first voice is closer to him this time, right in his ear. Billy cracks open his eyes to see One’s face flat against his. He grunts in surprise, leaning back to avoid One’s hot breath against his neck as he grips under his armpits and starts to pull him up.

“Jesus.” He grits his teeth as One stands him up and drapes his arm over his much taller shoulder. He stands up on is tip toes as One drags his through the plane and down the steps. 

“Sorry, buddy.” More hands hold him. Supporting him. “We’re almost there.” On his other side he feels soft, familiar leather. Seven. And behind him he hears Five’s voice mumbling to herself as she digs through yet another medical bag. How many more times she can shine a frigging torch in his eyes he doesn’t know, but he doesn’t dare stop her. As if on cue, she appears in front of him, prying his eyelids open. 

“Give him a break.” Two. Her voice is soothing and relaxed, Billy always liked that about her. “Wait until we’ve got him in bed.”

“Are you a doctor?” Five snaps. “No, I didn’t think so.”

“You’re doing great,” Billy breathes. He looks at her with a lazy smile and opens his eyes as wide as he can. “Go on then.” Five laughs quietly before checking his pupils one last time.

“Am I dying?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Five says with a smile. “You’ve improved massively since I last checked, so we’re looking good.”

“That’s good. But it doesn’t explain why I feel like I’m breathing through a tiny… tiny… straw.” He finishes with a weak wheeze. 

“Wait, he can’t breathe?” One’s voice is laced with an unfamiliar tone of panic. 

“I can breathe,” Billy protests. “It’s just… hard.” He rolls his eyes when Five pulls out her torch again but opens his mouth willingly as she shines the light down his throat.

“Swelling. It’s completely normal, just uncomfortable.” Five looks at Billy apologetically. “Sorry.”

“No problem. Just glad I’m not dying.”

“Definitely not dying. Not on my watch anyway.” 

The reach Billy’s trailer and lay him down on the bed, each member of the team doing something to make sure he was comfortable. Once they had finished, they were left standing awkwardly as Billy lay quietly. 

“I’ll be fine,” he croaked. “You can go.” One by one they filed out. Two first, then Three quickly after her. Seven followed, but not after promising to return with a laptop and a film when he was feeling up to it, which left Five and One. Five was fussing, plumping pillows and resisting the urge to reach for her torch on last time, whilst One just stood. He was leant gently against Billy’s desk with his hand resting on his chin as he watched Billy. Every wince catalogued in his brain with the rest of Billy’s injuries. Too many. 

“You’ve got to stop this.”

Silence. Five looked between the two men before excusing herself quietly. Four says nothing, instead choosing to play with the frayed edges of the blanket Five covered him in before leaving. 

“You’ve got to stop this,” One repeats.

“What?”

“This!”

“Specificity,” Billy teases. 

“Ok, there’s no need for that. I’ve already got four assholes on this team I don’t need one more.”

“I’m not an asshole.” One sniffs in protest. “I just… I forget I’m not dead sometimes, you know.”

“Yeah.”

“I think I’m invincible and then something like this happens and… I realise I could die. I could die and this time there would be no one at my funeral.”

“I’d be there.”

“Sure,” he mutters doubtfully. 

“I would. We’d all be there.” He moves closer to Billy’s bed. “Even Two.”

“Yeah, right.” Billy laughs. 

“Billy.” One takes a deep breath. “We would all be there. Although I absolutely loathe to say it… we are a really weird, dysfunctional and slightly unhinged family, OK? And families go to each other’s funerals.”

It’s quiet again for a while as Billy continues to fiddle with his blanket and One pulls up a chair beside him. He gets himself comfortable, propping his feet up in Billy’s bed. 

“You’ve never called me Billy before.”

“I haven’t?”

“Nope.”

“We’ll don’t expect me to again.”

“And that speech.” Billy starts to laugh. It bubbles up out of his sore throat and take over his body. “It was magnificent, man. Really, you should write that shit down.”

“What did you expect me to do?” One sulks. “Leave you looking like a kicked puppy for the whole day? I was making you feel better.”

“Of course,” Billy mocks, “because that’s what families do.”

“You know what, next time I’ll leave you too wallow in self-pity.” One stands up and throw the chair back over to the desk. “How about that?”

“Come on, man.” Billy says in between laughs. “I’m sorry, OK? I’m sorry.” But One’s already gone, the trailer door wide open as he stomps away. 

“And to think,” he shouts over his shoulder, “I was going to sit vigil at your bedside all fucking day!”

In his trailer, Billy wipes away a stray tear of laughter before settling down. One was right; it is weird, dysfunctional and majorly unhinged, but it’s still a fucking family.


End file.
